Seasonal Festival 1: Hokuryu-cho Sunflower Festival in Hokkaido

Calm blue sky, puffy marshmellow clouds, a million sunflowers – the three elements which form the ever-picturesque view on various print and digital medias, were presented right before me at the Hokuryu-cho Sunflower Festival in Hokkaido. This biggest sunflower field in Japan transformed into a huge yellow landscape in the Hokuryu town every summer, with its annual Himawari (Sunflower) Festival held from mid-July to end-August.

Apart from the breathtaking view, I had a memorable time running along the paths of these sunny smiley blooms in the maze and taking lots of selfies. The sunflowers are such photogenic plants!

Directions: From JR Takikawa Station, take the Chuo Bus to Hokuryu (40 mins ride) and alight at Hokuryu Chugakko Mae. 3 minutes walk to the sunflower field.
We rented a car and drove from Sapporo, which took us approximately 1.5 hours.

Charges: Admission to the festival is free. 300 yen to enter the maze. Scenic rides are available at 500 yen for adults and 300 yen for children.

There are also a few stores set up in the hall next to the field, selling some foodstuff, cold desserts and sun flowers-related merchandise.

About The Author

Jue Wee

Hi there! We are just a pair of Singaporean couple who have an extraordinary love for Japan travel. Our first visit to Japan was in 2011 and since then, we are addicted! With more than 18 F&E visits, we are happy to share our experiences and tips on Japanese travel, food, shopping and culture via this blog, especially with first-time visitors from Singapore to Japan. We would love to also interact with fellow Japan travel lovers and do feel free to drop us a line if you have queries, information to share or require assistance in your trip planning. Enjoy the ride on our JR Vacation! Jue Wee.